The past few lectures, we have discussed light in it’s entirety, from the original “electric lamp” (as conned by Thomas Edison) to light pollution.  Another way we use light today is putting various chemicals into a stick in order to make it glow/light, which can be used to paint the night with light, as I have photographed here.

Hack of a hack

Cool. I am learning wordpress. So tonight I went out for Ethiopian food and I was talking about our class. I was talking about teaching styles and how we integrate technology into the classroom to enhance our Hist 110 experience and so when the person I was with asked for an example I talked about how I tweeted at Prof. Blum today about something that was bothering me. At dinner I also talked about the whole Micro/Macro Tree/Forrest thing but I guess I will use this post to explain my discontent with whoever made that meme attacking Patricia Arquette.

Dating tip: If someone takes you out to dinner, definitely bring up your History 110 class. It will without doubt lead to a date #2 🙂 Our college tuition is so dang expensive, I like getting the best experience possible out of it.

Upon searching for something to make a hack about, I turned to my incredibly old Polaroid camera. Upon a little bit of research, I found out some very interesting facts. The company, Polaroid, was very involved in the war efforts for World War II. Polaroid produced eyewear and essentially the inception of film for the navy and army to use. Also something to consider, Polaroid held a monopoly over the entire instant film industry. 20% of overall camera and film sales went through Polaroid. Interestingly enough, Professor Blum spoke out about monopolies not so long ago..

During the Gilded Age, Andrew Carnegie believed that wealthy Americans should regenerate society by using their money in a way that could improve conditions in poverty. Carnegie used his wealth to help society by establishing schools, libraries, and universities in America.

Does it ever blow your mind how history repeats itself, and manages to stay current in time and relevant? In lecture Prof. Blum had mentioned cartoons being a gateway for promotional ads to sell a product; or to appeal an idea to the mass audience. We have all heard of a show called Modern Family, and have grown to love the homosexual couple (Cam, and Mitchell), while it isn’s a cartoon it is still on TV. You see sitcoms introducing a new way of life that is becoming accepted and legal. The fight to make a gay/homosexual family or couple a modern thing was no easy task (Seriously Obama began supporting Gays outright on May 9th 2012). It has been an on going battle probably since the beginning of time (not literally). My point is, if you want America to get used to something… like seeing gay couples, TV seems to be the best way. And to think this all started with a light bulb…..

I was at a Film Society meeting today and out guest speaker was talking about some of the lighting equipment we have on campus. One of the items he emphasized was an HMI light. It is a light used in filming that consumes a comparatively lower amount of energy and emits less heat than many comparable lights, making them very useful on sets with limited power. It made me think of Blum’s lecture and his focus on the light bulb and its improvements over time as this is a light that has been improved and tweaked to suit a very specific purpose.

I draw on my hand with pen almost every day and people are constantly assuming it’s henna, so I decided to research where henna was started. It turns out the origins of henna are difficult to track due to ancient people interacting with different cultures, but the most likely origin is within the Neolithic people in Catal Hoyuk, and it was used to enhance fertility. I found this interesting because the very first thing we learned in my art history class freshman year is about the ancient cave drawings of the people of Catal Hoyuk. While my hand doodles are neither henna or intended to inhance fertility, it was interesting to find that both the origins of art and henna are thought to be located in the same place.

The change in the 3 R’s has gone from relief, recovery, and reform to reuse, reduce, and recycle. It shows how our country and world has partially transformed into a society that focuses on environmental status’. As in the past this was the last of their worries during the great depression.